For former Ram, the goal is simple: don't allow any

Former St. Mary's High soccer standout Dea Cook and the rest of the UCLA defense spelled out their goal this season: N-G-A. No goals against.

Joelle Milholm

Former St. Mary's High soccer standout Dea Cook and the rest of the UCLA defense spelled out their goal this season: N-G-A. No goals against.

The Bruins have come very close to fulfilling it this season.

Through 24 games, Cook and her teammates have allowed only five goals and recorded a program-high 19 shutouts.

"We always say every year 'NGA.' We always try to strive for that," Cook said. "This year we just have a lot more communication and tightness."

The Bruins' (22-0-2) stingy defense is a big reason why they are in the Final Four of women's soccer, the College Cup. UCLA's next test comes at 4 p.m. Friday in Cary, N.C., against perennial powerhouse North Carolina. The match will be televised live on ESPNU. The other semifinal between Stanford (22-1-1) and Notre Dame (25-0) is at 1:30 p.m. The winners will play at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

The Tar Heels (23-1-2) have beaten the Bruins in their previous six meetings, including in the semifinals of the 2003 and 2006 College Cups. Cook, a junior from Acampo, believes this could be the year that UCLA turns the tables.

"I know that they are an amazing team, so I always get a little nervous," she said. "We have had such great talent in the past and we have that again this year, but I absolutely love this team. The leadership has been outstanding. It's been different. I have invested more in my team and so has everyone else, and you can tell."

A huge part of the Bruins success has come from the shutdown play on their side of the field. Cook credits her teammates and UCLA assistant coach B.J. Snow.

"I love my backline," said Cook, a 5-foot-6 defender and physiological science major. "Our assistant coach B.J. has been absolutely amazing. He is really picky about everything. He sits us down and he is specific about every little thing. Then we go out and we do what he says and as long as we are communicating, it works."